I feel like I can't take a deep breath
Posted , 81 users are following.
I have been trying to figure this issue out for 3 years. It feels like I physically can't take a deep breath, all the time - 24/7, no matter what I am doing. This issue started when I turned 19, my sophomore year in college. I have had a chest x-ray, an EKG, an ECHO. I have had my hormones and thyroid levels checked. I have gone to an asthma-allergy doctor. I have seen a psychiatrist and tried 9 different medications for anxiety. I have seen a counselor for a year and a half and have not found anything that helps or any answers. I do not identify with Generalized anxiety due to the simple fact that this issue persists all of the time, even when I am (or should be) at my most relaxed. I have been told that it seems like my brain has been re-wired and almost stuck in "fight mode" (fight-or-flight) which I could see as a possibility. I am currently trying biofeedback/ neurofeedback, which I am optimistic about. I just want to see if anyone has had a similar issue or has any suggestions.
4 likes, 155 replies
jaz61200 kenzi2994
Edited
The only way to describe it is almost feels as though when I breathe in it doesn’t go past mid throat - like there is padding or it’s ‘foggy’ and can’t get down. I just can’t explain! And my chest feels thick.
How was your neurofeeback out of curiosity? I’ve been told to try yoga and Pilates or swimming to try and focus on regulating my breathing...
kenzi2994 jaz61200
Edited
The neurofeedback has been really cool.. He uses a system called SCIO. Every person that administers biofeedback does it with a different machine/program and they all work differently. But this particular method has given him a lot of insight into my neurotransmitters, hormones, emotions, digestion, etc. He is able to run "tests" on me, essentially using "energetic medicine" or sending energy to certain places in my body that are unbalanced or dysfunctional. Personally, I haven't noticed a difference in my breathing YET but he says that my body is doing a lot better internally. I should be noticing results after every session from now on. Do a little research on SCIO biofeedback because it sounded like a bunch of BS to me at first (energetic medicine) or that someone could see that much information about your body from a band on your head but after researching and asking questions I am seeing that it is legit.
toni4567 jaz61200
Posted
jaz61200 toni4567
Posted
Hi! No i didn't, however i realised what REALLY didn't help was the open fireplace in my house. Whether it was lit or not, i have found since now being in a house that doesn't have one, my issues have eased. Don't get me wrong it still happens sometimes, but primarily when the air is a bit humid. So i think for me it was more to do with the air that i was breathing in all day and night.
Also certain room fragrances - things that you don't actually smell when you walk in a room, but they are there were what made me really dizzy.
Sorry i know my answer seems really 'simple' but hopefully it's a couple of things you could try changing if they are in your home
keegan49496 jaz61200
Posted
Hey i was just wondering when you moved you felt better? because it sounds crazy but when i lived in a house with a chimney years ago i had this problem then i moved in to a house with no chimney i didnt have this problem but i moved into a house that has a chimney actually right down the steeet from the first house with the chimney and now ive had it almost 2 years still no answer tried every soultion but move and i just told a friend i think its the house...
levilev keegan49496
Posted
My issues have also mostly subsided since i moved to a new apartment. I'm guessing there was an allergen that i rescted badly to in my old place? I've also been taking a multivitamin for a week now which might be helping.
yvonne01489 kenzi2994
Posted
Drowninginair kenzi2994
Posted
My symptoms first started when I woke up from surgery (scar tissue revision) with a slight cough that turned into not being capable of getting a deep breath and craving one. Also a continual need to yawn. On my follow up check with surgeon, I was told a viral issue had been going around, that my problems were a viral infection and was sent to GP. GP made numerous checks, all came back clear, CT scans, xrays, blood tests all clear. On one occation l could not get any breath as in no air, could not breath. It was a foggy winter night approx 3 AM I ran outside into cold fog and got the tiniest bit of breath, then a bit more, and a bit more. It was almost lights out. Doctor said the cold caused lung swelling to be slightly relieved.
Went to ER, symptoms got better (on there own), was prescribed, inhaler and antibiotics, it did nothing, tryed different longer term antibiotics symptoms subsided, then was totally fine (after6 months of problems.) 6 months later I'm starting to have symptoms again but not as severe yet. Never before have had asthma, but have 2 inhalers that I use but don't seem to do much. Not ever been an anxious or nervous person. No issues that would cause stress to blame this on. No reason to "forget" how to breath, or be differently conscious about my breathing. No doctors have been able to diagnose or effectively treat my conditions or symptoms. I have been to 4 different doctors.... I've tried the suggested treatment "retraining breathing," not working for me. Anyone have anything new?
Drowninginair kenzi2994
Posted
alex71604 Drowninginair
Posted
Yeah... same for me! I feel shortness of breath 24×7 and i'll need to yawn or breath deeply to get air into my lungs.and sometimes even yawning cant get me much air into the lungs and leads me into panic attack! I am trying to control my mind.. be free and i often hear the word of god from Benny Hinn which gives me a relief.. im praying so that god will heal me
.
I've not gone to college since i had this.
keep79415 alex71604
Posted
If this was panic attacks a few beers wld cure it. It always did to me when flying which i dont like.
I dont feel the need to yawn but when i do like you i just feel tightness and can no longer get much air in.
lisamaria kenzi2994
Posted
Usher kenzi2994
Posted
Hi I'm Ashraf, 22, from Malaysia. I have the same symptom like you since 13th July 2017(accurately at the midnight of my birthday). It happened all of sudden while I lay my back at the pillow, on my bed, and watching YouTube before go to sleep. I suddenly realized that I can't breath like usual and thought it was my Asthma(which last attacked when I'm 13 yrs old and can be considered gone after that), and grab my inhaler but doesn't work. So I went to nearest clinic to get nebulizer and took 2 doses, but realized it is not asthma. I can't really sleep that night. And the next morning, I went to a specialist hospital and get warded. I did all the heart and lung checkup including ECHO and CT scan, but it is not heart nor lung. A heart specialist then suddenly decided to make a thoracic operation on my sympathetic nerve after he shake my hand and felt it is wet of sweat. The operation was done and my wet hand was completely dry. But the feeling of can't breath fully is still not recovered. Then I've done a barium swallow and my oesophagus is okay. Until now, nothing was diagnosed and the can't breath fully symptom is still there. The only clue right now is whenever I swallow a solid food, the feeling is better and the ability to breath deeply only come sometime, and when I able to breath deeply I can't feel more relief and grateful. But I still don't know what causing it....
keep79415 Usher
Posted
Did you by any chance notice any viral or flue cough sore neck symptomns before this?
I wrote a long post but realized it was never ending so will need to start again as i developed this problem 2 months ago and now since then my life is a living hell.
I had asthma but spent a lot of time in asia and malaysia as the heat cures it.
This winter i have been in scotland and expected to get some asthma altho i felt very little. Then like many posts i have read i seemed to have a cough and some viral type illnesses a few weeks before the first attack came on.
I noticed what i thought was asthma for a few days and ignored it then when i was in the bath i suddenly got an attack where i could not get any air into my lungs and assumed somehow i was having a asthma attack, perhaps i was allergic to the bath salts id been using as i dont usually take baths but had started awhile back when id caught a cold.
After this i jumped out the bath and adrenaline kicked in and i manged to gasp in air. Later on due to the chest tightness and suffocation i was feeling i called an ambulance.
As per procedure with chest pressure i had to have an ekg after that they listened to my chest and said it was totally clear and healthy and told me i must of had a cold and panicked thinking it was asthma and i didnt need any inhaler. Or it could be muscular again made little sense as i cycled miles and go uphill and exercised daily and this happened in the bath.
To cut a long story short i went to a doctor and told how id managed to sleep using paracetamol which seemed to help. He checked my oxygen and said its 100% and chest was clear.
Then tested peak flow which he said was good but i explained to him when i was well and checked before the reading was 100 higher and this time it might look ok but i had put in a lot of effort to do it which was not normal for me. So the doctor said it was probably viral and to keep taking paracetamol.
After this i improved a little and travellled to the london area and then i got more attacks. The problem became chronic and in desperation i went to the emergency department after the ekg the doctor agreed to give me an xray altho he thought my chest sounded totally clear to check for pneumothorax and found none.
After this the problem became chronic 24/7 i visited the emergency departmemt 4 times and got more x rays and blood tests after begging the doctors to try and find what was causing it.
I visited 3 different doctors and kept getting the same oximeter test and stethoscope and told peak flow was fine despite the effort i had to make to try and breathe deeply to blow it.
Then like many others i was accused more and more of being anxiouse and feeling symptomns that are not real.
That was ridiclouse as who wouldnt feel axiouse if they couldnt eat and sleep and could hardly breathe. I have been in very dangerouse situations and know exactly what anxiety is and it doesnt cause me 24/7 breathing problems.
Eventually i was put on steroids ,made me 10 times worse so i stoped them and also the inhalers and salbutamol i had kept taking as that was causing me to become more anxiouse and was not helping. I had been taking them out of desperation this was some kind of asthma attack.
After this i manged to give a sample of some rubbery mucus i occasionaly coughed up which was strange for me
A week later was told some bugs were found and got flucloaxacillin for a week
No help from that.
Then went back to scotland another hellish journey and tried the hospital again another x ray and usual tests and as id mentioned burping and pressure got a proton pump inhibitor to try.
3 days of that made my stomache a little odd so followed my intuition not to bother with it the burping did not return and again no help. I cant believe its a reflux problem either as when iv been sick badly and had a sorqe stomache and heartburn or food poisoning i did not become unable to breathe.
It seems there is some kind of problem or disease people are getting
And doctors go through the usual asthma meds stomache meds ect then it will be blamed on anxiety.
The worrying part is nobody seems to get any cause found for this.
I was going to try and get a ct or mri scan but i suspect it may be like others who got this and not show anything still.
My ribs have had cracking problems before after i injured them near the sternum yet they dont feel sore but i do have a bruised feeling under my arm pits when pushing there like the guy who mentioned this.
I think the only thing we can do is keep trying to find the cause then it could help others.
Its not possible this happens to healthy people with no reason.
estefania26087 kenzi2994
Posted
I totally understand you and all that have posted something here! I've been feeling the same symptoms for about 6 months now. At 18 I was diagnosed with
"bronchial hyperreactivity" due to allergies. I'm 29 now and every now and then I would get some difficult episodes that made it hard for me to breathe, but everytime my inhalers and antistaminics would relieve me in a period of 3 weeks tops. But 6 months ago my breathing symptoms started again but there has not been anything that can relieve them. I feel breathless almost 24/7 also, to the point it is hard for me to even talk. At the moment I'm trying the acid reflux treatment and also giving another shot to the nebulizations. I've also been told that is could be anxiety, but I was not feeling anxious when it started, today of course I'm feeling anxious but because of not getting the answer to this problem. I also have had 2 ecos and heart is apparently OK, lungs seem to be fine also. I'm reaching the point of desperation, because as someone in this blog said, you get obsessed with your breathing, just making it more difficult to relax and resolve the problem. Also as someone said here, I feel the need to yawn to get a little more air at times. I just wanted to share my experience also, because I understand how frustrating it gets. If anyone gets some answers to their situations please share them. Hugs to everyone.
keep79415 estefania26087
Posted
I can talk ok but cant exercise anymore with the lung tightness.
I dont think we know our lungs are fine unless we had a ct scan or mri.
All i got is 3 x rays and they are not very accurate.
I would like an mri ,ct scan is a lot of radiation and the dye is damaging to your kidneys.
I have spent weeks looking up everything and cant find any answer to this. It could be a diaphram problem but in my case my stomache moves so i assume not.
Anxiety is just the usual go to when doctors dont know something .they all seem ego driven and close minded then got the cheek to refer me to a phychiatrist that was total nonsense with questions about sexual abuse.
Unless anyone had anxiety before this dont waste your time with it.
The only suggestion he made at the end which sounded interesting was that this could be related to chronic fatigue syndrome.